MYSTERY JUNCTION (1951)
directed by Michael McCarthy.
Reading the latest novel of Larry Gordon (Sydney Tafler), an old lady spots the author himself, on a train. A scream! A policeman has disappeared- he was guarding a prisoner travelling on board called Harding (Martin Benson).
His colleague (Ewen Solon) investigates, insisting all the passengers in the carriage alight at the next station. With heavy snow they're all trapped there for the night.
Huddled together in the waiting room, a spot of romance develops between Larry and Pat (Barbara Murray). Whilst a Helen Mason keeps staring at the prisoner, Mr Hooker and Mr Benson look plain suspicious. Then the phone lines are cut and the lights extinguished. Two shots. Suddenly Harding has a gun and our policeman is dead. Larry tries to convince Harding that the shots were really meant for him- Harding finally sees this and appoints Larry to find the killer. Harding reveals that at his forthcoming trial he's going to split on a man called Mason, who'll probably hang as a result.
As Larry talks to his fellow passengers, "it's a case of everybody telling me lies." Certainly a lot of people have a lot of dark secrets to hide.
Another death. The poor station master is found dead. Then through the snow trudges a stranger- "my car got stuck in the snow." But it seems no coincidence that he is the father of the man Harding is alleged to have killed.
The police are next at the station. Det Insp Clark's arrival sparks a shootout.
There's a confession and another death.
The remaining passengers are able to continue their journey on the morning train.
If you are a lover of endings that cheat, this is one of the best/ or worst!
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THE LIMPING MAN (1953)
My rating is 7* or 3* if you don't like the ending.
The director is credited as Charles de Latour.
Probably Cy Enfield was the actual director of this film.
Franklin Prior (Lloyd Bridges) is flying into London Airport to remeet his wartime sweetheart Miss Pauline French (Moira Lister).
On the airport tarmac, as he offers a light to a fellow passenger, that man is shot and so Frank has to be questioned by Inspector Braddock (Alan Wheatley), who is ably assisted by his sergeant played by Leslie Phillips who brightens up the film by ogling every girl he encounters.
The dead man was Kendall Brown, coincidentally a friend of Pauline's. "That's fantastic," that's the ending to a film that builds up the tension well with blackmail leaving Frank "in a bad way, very bad." In a deserted theatre Frank chases down the sinister killer, the Limping Man whom he had spotted slinking away after the killing.
There are a couple of typical 50's songs included as a filler, by a French singer on stage, I found these even less tuneful and unmemorable than usual. One is sung by the young lady as well known magician Robert Harbin is tying her up.
The ending is something of a classic example of bad writing, so depending on how you like that, my rating is either three out of ten or seven.
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THE CASE OF THE MUKKINESE BATTLEHORN (1955)
Perhaps the best film made at Merton Park.
This could hardly fail since the cast includes Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan and Dick Emery.
It's an affectionate parody of Merton Park's own 'Scotland Yard'
series. The plot is unimportant but it seems to revolve round a rare Mukkinese battlehorn that is stolen from a museum. Sellers and Milligan are our boys in blue,
investigating the theft with an amazing incompetence.
This is an affectionate Goons tribute to the detective film genre, narration and atmosphere are, at times, authentic
Scotland Yard, but the clowning around definitely wouldn't receive Edgar Lustgarten's commendation!
Written and Directed by Harry Booth
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